1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of light emitting devices and, more particularly, devices used to illuminate oral tissues.
2. The Relevant Technology
In the dental industry, light emitting devices are sometimes used in the detection of caries, calculus, fissures, fractures, tarter, plaque, and other dental defects. They may also be used to diagnose soft tissue disorders. The component wavelengths of white light are either absorbed by or transmitted through the dental tissue. Healthy tissues generally allow certain wavelengths of light (typically longer wavelengths, such as red) to be transmitted through the tissue. This phenomenon is known as transillumination. Diseased tissue and other defects generally absorb these same wavelengths, causing a visual contrast between healthy and diseased tissue.
One type of light emitting device for dental diagnosis includes a light source, such as an incandescent bulb or a high intensity light emitting diode (“LED”), configured to emit white light. Such a light emitting device can be modified by attaching a filtering tip to reduce glare. For example, Ivoclar-Vivident provides a diagnostic device that emits white light connected to a green tinted filter for use in the visual identification of plaque. In some ways, however, simply filtering white light is inefficient since most of the light energy is filtered out and, hence, wasted.
In view of the foregoing, there is an ongoing need to provide improved tissue illuminating apparatus for diagnosing caries, calculus, fractures, fissures and other dental defects in teeth and/or diseased or otherwise abnormal soft oral tissue.